Universal Music issued in 2017 The Jam / 1977, a new 40th anniversary, five-disc box set celebrating the busy debut year of The Jam, when Paul Weller, Rick Buckler Bruce Foxton and delivered two albums and three hit singles. This collection features remastered versions of both In The City and This Is The Modern World, and despite a plethora of Jam box sets in the last five or six years the label have dug out six previously unreleased demos from the first album which feature on the second CD alongside five further demos which have been issued before. CD four is a live disc and includes a previously unreleased concert (15 tracks) from the ‘Nashville’ recorded on 10 September 1977. This is paired with two John Peel sessions from the same year.
Released in October 1977, the essential anthology Decade (a triple vinyl album back then!) gives a detailed overview of Neil Young’s work between 1966 and 1976. In 35 titles (including 6 unreleased pieces), the Loner’s genius bursts out for all to see. Mostly solo, but also with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash, this collection particularly shows that this decade was his most fascinating. Building on masterfully written songs, Neil Young mixes rock, folk and country with great originality for the time. In both ballads and much meaner songs, his style is like fireworks. He is most likely the most original artist of his generation. One that never shies away from questioning himself either. Novices can start climbing the mountain of his works with this five-star compilation record, before digging deeper, one album at a time.